Anti-social behaviour

We take reports of anti-social behaviour seriously and work with other agencies to tackle it.

You can report anti-social behaviour by filling in the form below or by calling us on 0300 123 2222. In an emergency, please dial 999 and ask for the police. Please note, if you want to be kept informed about what we're doing in response to your request, it's important that you fill in your contact details.

About you

Note: Questions marked by * are mandatory

*This is a mandatory field. Name

*This is a mandatory field. Address

*This is a mandatory field. Telephone number

*This is a mandatory field. Email

Are you a Merlin resident?

*This is a mandatory field. How would you like us to contact you about this report?

If we think this is an urgent case, we will be in contact with one working day. Otherwise we will contact you within five working days.

*Spam Guard: Is a stone hard or soft?

You are here: Page 1 of 2

What is anti-social behaviour?

The term anti-social behaviour covers a wide range of activity that can affect people’s lives. Some anti-social behaviour is also criminal, and in these cases we will work with the police to deal with the problem.

Anti-social behaviour could include:

Noise

Vandalism, graffiti, and fly posting

Using the home for unlawful purposes, such as growing drugs

Anti-social drinking

Reckless riding of mini motorbikes

Intimidating groups taking over public spaces

Abusive behaviour and harassment

However many things that are reported to us are not anti-social, but still cause problems for our residents. Examples of some of these include:

People walking across the floor of their flat in shoes

The noise of children playing

The noise of day-to-day living, like washing machines running

Cooking smells

Legal parking in streets and parking areas.

Some of these problems can become anti-social behaviour if they are specifically targeted at someone over a period of time. We will be able to give you advice in such cases, but we’ll make it clear to you when something is not being treated as anti-social behaviour.

How do we tackle anti-social behaviour?

Despite providing homes to more than 16,000 people, we only receive around 500 reports of anti-social behaviour each year. But when we receive a report, we try and stop anti-social behaviour as quickly and as early as possible. We’ll doing this by:

Sending letters warning perpetrators

Using mediation or other means of getting people talking to each other

Dealing with problems that the perpetrator may have that are causing the anti-social behaviour

Using acceptable behaviour contracts or family behaviour contracts

Working with other agencies which have different powers to deal with problems

Taking legal action to end the tenancy

Evicting someone from their home is the last resort for tackling anti-social behaviour, however we will do this in the most serious cases.

How do we support victims and witnesses?

The key to tackling anti-social behaviour is to support the victims and encourage individuals and communities to work with us to gather evidence. We support victims and witnesses by:

Assessing the level of risk to victims and making plans to ensure their safety

Providing guidance and support and ensuring the victim’s confidentiality

Working with organisations which are experts in victim support

Making sure victims and witnesses are kept up-to-date with how our investigation is going

Improving security on homes when necessary.

In exceptional circumstances we may rehouse victims if there is an immediate threat to them.

What happens when you report anti-social behaviour?

We will contact you within five working days after you contact us to report anti-social behaviour. A member of staff will speak to you either face-to-face, over the phone or via email, whichever you prefer.

They will:

Ask you about the problems in detail, including dates and times of specific incidents

Agree a plan to decide the best way to resolve your problem

Keep you informed through an agreed method, such as weekly phone calls or emails

Take appropriate action to resolve the case.

Domestic Violence

We will respond within 24 hours of receiving a report of domestic violence.

We treat all reports in strict confidence and will take every measure to make sure you are safe. This could include making your home more secure or in some cases, finding you somewhere else to live. We can also support you to take legal action and put you in contact with other agencies that can offer support.

If you’re suffering from domestic abuse, please visit one of our housing offices, contact us on 0300 123 2222 or fill out the form above – link to form. You don’t need to show proof of violence or abuse and can ask to speak to someone of the same gender if you wish.

Hate crimes and racist incidents

We work with organisations such as SARI and the police to investigate reports of hate crimes and racist incidents. They are crimes targeted at a person because of hostility or prejudice towards someone’s disability, race or ethnicity, religion, or sexual orientation. They can take many forms including verbal abuse, banging doors or attacks to people or property.

We assess each case individually to assess how serious it is and the risk to the victim and will consider increasing security at their home while we investigate.

Carrying out racist or hate crimes is a breach of our tenancy conditions and we will take action, whenever possible, against the perpetrators, which could include evicting them.